Eng Pak T2 Days 2 & 3: KP's Dangerous Life and Zulqarnain Fashioning Pakistan's Resistance

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Sreelata YellamrazuAug 9 2010

If England had a great bowling day on the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston, they faced unusual resistance at the end of the third day. In between was Kevin Pietersen flickering rays of hope.

zulqarnain haider saeed ajmal

England's lead grew sizeable as did KP's stay at the crease. It was not one of Pietersen's most convincing knocks, but given that he is yet to see another Test century in more than a year, he is willing to take the valuable eighty runs, even if they came through three fortuituous chances.

Combined with Jonathan Trott's half century, those were the two most significant innings in England's first innings which was brought to a halt by the spinner, Saeed Ajmal, who picked up a five-for as England were bowled out for 251, still a rather significant lead of 179.

Pakistan's top order was once again a scattered lot, not knowing if they were going or coming, though not quite as horrific as their first innings. But that the burden was too much was evident when they found themselves once more at five down for eighty-two and little by way of batting pedigree to boast of.

Pakistan's debutant wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, replacing Kamran Akmal, was not about to perish like the rest of the lot. Instead he stood tall, lent his fragile weight to the innings and what conjured was a rare bit of Pakistan resistance not seen since the England Pakistan Test series began. In a way, it thwarted the extraordinary efforts of Graeme Swann that earned him six wickets at the cost of sixty runs.

He found an equally gritty partner in Ajmal, who not content with the bowling efforts, pitched in with the bat. England's frustrations grew, evident in the manner in which Stuart Broad let loose his bad boy side against Haider. But they could not prevent Pakistan from trying to overcome the deficit to developing a lead, albeit modest.

With Ajmal's half century and Haider's eighty-eight runs, Pakistan have a fighting chance, albeit slim. With a wicket in hand, how much they are able to frustrate the England bowling in the morning will tell how many more runs they will have under their belt attempting an unlikely win.

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